Rape seed

In comparison with grain and vegetables the cultivation of rapeseed as a useful plant for edible oil and food has a short history. It was the development of new rapeseed varieties that were more digestible for humans and animals in the 70s and 80s of the 20th century that made commercial and large-scale cultivation of rapeseed as an edible oil source lucrative. Up to this point the production of rapeseed oil was only for technical purposes. Since then, a variety of different rapeseed types have been developed. Their properties have been increasingly optimized with respect to yield and robustness. Rapeseed is now a worldwide cultivated crop of great importance for the production of oils for industrial use as well as for edible oils and animal feed. In recent decades, the production of biofuel from rapeseed has been added and today it is the main purpose of Rapeseed. The main producers of rapeseed are Canada, China, India and the European Union. When cultivating it for commercial use, as with any crop, the particular plant requirements with regard to the soil, climate and location must be taken into consideration. Sowing and harvesting times must also be taken into account. In addition to these factors, the special harvesting process of the rapeseed plant has a great influence on the yield of the harvest. If the rapeseed field is not mowed the mowers suitable for this purpose and the corresponding rapeseed cutting systems, the rapeseed harvest yield may be too low. Thus, the harvest phase and the mower used for this purpose are aspects of rapeseed cultivation which can not be given enough attention. As with any commercial and large area cultivated plant, rapeseed is harvested with heavy duty mowers. The harvesting of rapeseed is a demanding process that requires special rapeseed cutters. Rapeseed harvester heads, as produced by the Ennepetaler Schneid- und Mähtechnik, are key components of high performance harvesting equipment for harvesting rapeseed. With rapeseed knives from ESM the mowing process runs professionally and without interruption. The design of the knives, which is specifically designed for the cutting of rapeseed, enables low-vibration, vertical cutting through the dense rapeseed plants. Only through this cut is a lane created which allows the rapeseed stalks to be cut horizontally and to gently harvest the plant's pods.